I am nominating Manina because from the first few minutes I was in her care till the final hours of my stay she was always right there for me. Manina was very caring and concerned about my comfort and recuperation. She always asked about my pain level and did whatever she could to alleviate my pain. Manina encouraged me to sit in the rocker even when I didn't feel up to it. I trusted her and complied with her suggestions. It always helped bring the pain down some. She also encouraged me to walk as often as I felt like I could. She was a wonderful cheerleader, praising my efforts every day. She took time out from her busy schedule to walk with me in the halls. We really become friends during my 5-day stay in the hospital.

I want to backtrack a bit to say that right after my surgery, Manina was the nurse that took care of me. I was losing a lot of blood. She never let on that it was a problem, but she was in close contact with my surgeon. After about an hour, she calmly told me that the surgeon wanted to put me under anesthesia again to try and find out the cause of the bleeding. I was very uneasy about the whole thing, but she seemed so calm and it made me a bit calmer too. I have really missed Manina since I came home and want to do and say whatever I can to make sure that she is recognized for her wonderful patience, knowledge, empathy, and understanding. I really hope that I have adequately described how caring, patient, concerned, and truly special this nurse is. I honestly couldn't have asked for better care!